U.S. should take 3 steps to punish Russia for Ukraine incursion: Paul Cook

In 2008, the world watched as Russia invaded Georgia in Vladimir Putin’s first step to rebuild the old Soviet Empire. This past week, Putin continued his pattern of aggression by invading Ukraine. While Russia claims that it is acting to protect ethnic Russians in Crimea, it is clear to democratic nations that the real motive behind this is to prevent the new Ukrainian government from moving closer to Europe. Putin’s attempt to rebuild the Soviet Empire is the greatest threat to European peace since the Cold War ended.

So far, the Russian intervention in Ukraine has been limited to Crimea. This strategic peninsula gives Russia control of the Black Sea and access to the Mediterranean. In 2008, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was used to support its invasion of Georgia and for the past few years, it has used this as a key shipping route to provide arms to the murderous Assad regime in Syria. The pro-Russian puppet regime in Crimea has called for a referendum on becoming part of Russia. It’s inconceivable that any sort of free and fair vote could be held in Crimea under Russian occupation.

More disturbingly, we have seen pro-Russian mobs seizing government buildings and calling for Russian intervention across Eastern Ukraine. Combined with the major Russian military exercises along Ukraine’s border and calls from the Russian parliament to depose the pro-Western Ukrainian government, this raises the specter of a large scale invasion of Ukraine.

Any occupation of Ukraine would put Russia directly on the border of our key NATO allies, such as Poland, and raise the specter of a major war. The last time we saw a major European power invading its neighbors under the pretext of protecting its ethnic citizens was in the late 1930s. The lack of Western response to that aggression ultimately led to a world war with tens of millions killed, including hundreds of thousands of Americans. Failure to respond firmly to Russian aggression in Ukraine will only increase the chance that Russia’s next target will be a NATO ally that we are treaty-bound to go to war to protect.

Additionally, an American failure to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be a catastrophe for our efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in return for promises from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia to respect and protect its territorial integrity. If we stand by and do nothing as Russia dismembers Ukraine, our other allies will question the security assurances we have provided them. This would likely lead some of them to pursue their own nuclear weapons to defend themselves, fueling a nuclear arms race in volatile regions such as the Middle East and East Asia.

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The financial aid package for Ukraine that was approved by the House of Representatives as well as the administration’s sanctions against some of the individuals responsible for the crisis are a good first step, but are not enough by themselves. While there is no military solution to the Ukraine crisis, there are three key steps the United States and its allies can take to punish Russia and deter further aggression.

First, America should impose targeted sanctions on President Putin and other key Russian political and military officials, as well as oligarchs closely tied to the regime. These sanctions would freeze their assets in the West and limit their ability to travel and do business outside of Russia.

Second, the United States should revisit its decision to scrap its missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. A robust missile defense system based in Eastern Europe would not only reassure our allies of our commitment to their defense, but would also provide protection from the missile attacks of rogue regimes such as Iran.

Finally, the United States should consult with our allies about the possibility of basing NATO forces in Eastern European states threatened by Russia. This would help to deter any further Russian aggression against NATO states that America is committed to defend. While taking these steps won’t expel Russian troops from Ukraine, they will reassure our allies in the region that America will keep its promises and force Putin to think twice before threatening more of his neighbors.

The Cold War taught us that peace could only be achieved through strength. Since World War II, a strong American presence in Europe has kept the peace and prevented the outbreak of a major war. If America and its European allies stand together and impose real consequences on Putin’s regime, they can deter further Russian aggression and possibly prevent a major deadly conflict.